…
Miss Soufle, also called Sam by her friends, and Sammy by her parents, was enjoying her morning cappuccino, still feeling tired from yesterday. It was very early in the morning, and she was inside a café wearing her exercise outfit. She was supposed to be in the middle of her morning routine, which she started since going to university. First, she would go down the stairs from fourth floor. After that, she would jog around, singing to her favorite tune for about ten minutes. And then, she would come home, do some stretches, eat her breakfast, and be off. This would energize her for the majority of the day, which she needed for her studies. More importantly, it energized her enough to deal with Torques, against whom she couldn’t take it easy. And with the growing number of attacks as of late, it became double important to follow that routine. That said, she was feeling way too tired lately.
She blamed it on the events from yesterday. She patrolled for more than a few hours, trying to find Clavat. On top of that, she had to fight three different times back then. Two of them were at the end of the day, where she tried to put out the fire, and then deal with the Torque and Clavat at the same time. There was also a previous, smaller one, involving some sort of a flying gremlin. She had no clue where they came from, but she been seeing them once a week as of late. Even everyday people began to talk about their appearance here and there. Her neighbour mentioned one appearing in another’s balcony, although that was likely to excuse why she was carrying his bicycle seat.
In the end, though, she didn’t find them too much of a hassle. No, the biggest culprit of her current state was, sadly, stress. And that stress came from her talk with Charlie. 
It was another habit of hers, a bad one admittedly, of overthinking stuff in the morning. That’s why she needed to jog so much. But in the end, it woke her up in the morning, and kept bothering her while running. So, she couldn’t help but stop her practice prematurely. 
She sipped on her drink again, and looked out of the window. The day also felt a bit too gloomy. It was mostly clouds, however many that began to gather above her head. But there was also a sense that the night was growing in length as time passed. Of course, winter season did mean longer nights. But there was something more notable going on in here.
Not feeling better with that view, she turned around and glanced over to café’s TV. The news was on, but as if by fate, they had immediately began talking about yesterday. And with it, everything that happened with Golden Girl. From the fire, to the faux principal’s rescue, and even a moment of her on the street. 
“Did you see the Golden Girl!? She was in the Ridge Street!”
“She saved a guy from institution, how cool was that?”
“She got the guy out of the fire! I wanna be so brave!”
“I think she saw me! I think we’ve made, like, a psychic connection, you know!?”
These were the typical things she would be showered with in one ear during the day. People have made a big deal out of her, in a way she’d never thought would happen to her. More than usual, those were part and parcel of being a heroic celebrity. Not that she ever planned herself becoming one, but, that’s how it goes. Meanwhile, her other ear was assaulted with other sorts of phrases, especially by that one table next to her.
“I still think she is fake,” said one guy to a group of friends of his. They all laughed.
“She is totally some sort of a plant, who is forced to do stunts!”
“Why can’t she just stop them attacking us already? How long she’s been doing this?”
“She is so gonna mess up, I can see it!”
At some point, listening to them all became tedious. She groaned and turned away from them, feeling even worse now. Really, she was not interested in becoming a hero in the first place, not even in the long term. 
When she first learned about her power, she thought about just keeping it low. Maybe just figure out what was happening and maybe help here and there. In fact, it felt like she was doing exactly that, at first. Then a horde of creatures attacked a small building. There weren’t any victims, but what people saw got taped and the whole thing blew up into a giant media sensation. All because she thought to do what was necessary. And then, these monsters turned out to be several people who went missing. It became hard to ignore what she did, with how many questions it raised, and soon enough, she permanently gained a spotlight. 
Unfortunately, this has become her current less than desirable predicament. Everyday, at least once someone mentions the “Golden Girl” within her earshot, from flattery to criticism, slowly morphing her life into that one identity. They all cared about who she was and wanted to interview, even though she was trying her best to get away. She could, of course, choose to lay low and not save people. But, the problem was that these monsters still appeared. And, worse still, she couldn’t look away. 
She heard another burst of laughter from the people behind her. They sounded like they were having fun, pulling her apart.
“I can make that bloke wet his trousers with that drink.” Sam looked over to Taja, the young spirit who popped right next to her. She was eyeing at one of the hecklers, the one who started the whole thing and had a giant looking mouth.
“I barely even noticed,” Sam replied, faking honesty. She noticed her companion eye her pitifully, seeing her lie through. 
“They should be taught a lesson!” Taja insisted. “And what sort of benefit do I get being an intangible spectre, if not for pulling larks against the idiots with cod-mouths?”
Sam chuckled and shook her head.
“Nah, I wouldn’t feel better being this petty.” 
Taja slumped down and pouted. Sam couldn’t stop smiling when looking at the spirit. She reminded her of her cousin, whom she always loved to play with, but sadly stopped talking to for a few years now. It happens, people change. Then Taja lunged forward and hovered around the heckler. As he began to laugh again, she mimicked him by making her face even crazier and then blowing raspberries into his eye. She finished by “spitting” her intangible spit into his cup. Taja also happened to be the second reason she could never say no to saving people. This lively dead girl just wouldn’t stay down.
“Anyways, you found your friends yet?” Sam asked when the spirit returned.
“I tried to,” Taja twisted her head and then sighed. She looked very distraught. “But this city…it is beyond enormous! T’would be impossible for me to even find the tallest tree that houses millions of children, because your tallest would block the view first. And as I said you, far back when we met, I can find stuff on instinct. And I am far better at tracking evil magic, than I do fellow spirits. Oh, how I wish to see them again!!!” Taja sprawled on the table and groaned, loudly enough for no one to hear. 
Sam felt a bit bad for her. It was probably the first time in forever since she seen her friends. And what sort of people they were like? Taja described them, but only said that there was a gullible blue one, spoiled pink one, scary green one, dumb red one and a cool black one. Sam had a feeling that the young girl had some biases.
“Speaking of allies,” Taja said, leaping back to her feet, “how is yours?”
Sam took a moment to consider the question and rubbed her forehead. She then clicked her teeth, without meaning to. She quickly checked if she got any messages, before putting down her phone and then shrugging. 
“I think it is still early to ask,” she explained. She’d rather not bother him first thing in the morning. He might tease her for it. “I…really don’t like it. You know, having him go undercover and everything.”
“But it is necessary,” Taja said matter-of-factly. The young girl was very annoyingly straightforward.
“I get THAT, I’m just…not too sure if it’s a good idea! He is just a…guy. He isn’t some super spy. He might get himself hurt, or worse. Can we even do something?”
She looked straight in Taja’s eyes, expecting an answer. All she saw instead were the eyes of a young girl, who knew what they were supposed to do. Sam sighed and leaned away, not exactly content with this.
Things like these would always weigh on her mind. How could one be sure if they were making the right decision? No one truly was. Even asking for some money from her parents got her a bit guilty in the conscience. On the other hand, getting a new job while still in the middle of battling other monsters was pretty much a hard pass for her. Choosing to putting a stop to heroics felt easy, but she knew she’d feel bad about it. Like that one time she failed to save a young boy getting kidnapped. Talk about some sort of comic book origin. But in real life, there were no hard answers, only decisions. And all that gets left was that awful taste in the mouth.
Being a hero was more trouble than it’s worth.
“Well, if not you, then who else?” Taja asked.
“And that’s the problem! There isn’t! I swear, it’s like I got cursed or something.”
“You believe I was a curse to you, huh?”
Sam looked at her with big eyes. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“I’ve been told that a few times.”
“Well, that’s an awful thing! You are better than you-“
She paused and looked out the window, more intently. She was sure her mind was playing tricks. But the two girls she saw, she recognized them. They seemed to be talking and waiting at the bus stop. They were exactly the very same ones from that little, dinky town in the middle of nowhere. But what were they doing there? And why they together? Who was this man they were looking at? How did they get here?
“What is it?” Taja asked, curious and leaned over the table next to her to watch outside.
Sam couldn’t help it, but all she wanted to do was to watch them. Silently and intently. Immediately, the words that Charlie said yesterday emerged again for her, about where her powers came from. About the town being the reason behind them. A connection, faint one, was made in her mind and she needed to prove it. And then the bus came, blocking the girls from her sight. 
She shot up to her feet. I have to check them, she thought.
Then she felt her foot tripping someone right behind her.
“Pardon me,” said a deep voice, as he stumbled few steps forward. Sam turned around, and watched the man catch his balance. A tray with four cups in his hand, thankfully none were spilled.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Sam quickly went to help him. “Everything is okay? God, I’m so sorry, I should’ve paid attention…nothing got spilled?”
“Why no, madame, you have no need to worry,” he spoke in a voice deep and rich. Almost suffocatingly so.
Sam looked up to the man, as he straightened himself up. Aside from being a wolf, a pure black one at that, his appearance was hard to discern. He wore clothes, of course, but they blended into his fur so much, she couldn’t exactly tell where they started and where they ended. Other than that, she could see his eyes, but they were dark gray. She also realized he was really tall. That is, taller than anyone in the café. 
“Well’ that’s good!” Sam chuckled, finally catching herself. “Again, I’m so…sorry it happened!”
“Do not worry,” he said, voice becoming older by the second, “no one tends to notice me.”
“Kinda hard to believe that,“ she chuckled.
Without saying anything else, he made a bow, and went away. His steps were light. This felt incongruous, because of his size. Then again, she managed to trip him, despite being twice his size herself. Suddenly she began to show interest in him. 
She heard Taja scowl right behind her ear. “What is it?”
“I do not like him,” the spirit said. 
“Hmm?” Sam looked over to the man again. She had to take a few tries before finally pinpointing him, and he was with three other people. All of them were wearing hoodies. This made them suspicious. She then asked Taja, “Can you figure out who they are?”
The spirit looked at them, only to waver. “I feel…something.” 
The spirit turned to the window.
“Another one,” she said. “A Torque! One has appeared!”
“Now?” Sam huffed, reproachfully, then looked out the window. The girls were not there anymore. It seemed as though she was not allowed to have a quiet morning. At the very least, she felt less tired, for the moment. “Let’s go Taja.”
“I don’t understand, why do these mortal worms enjoy these things!” Clavat said, his face screwing after that last whiff. He then pushed his cup to Penna, as if expecting her to finish it for him.
“That is because some of us are not children anymore and can drink coffee,” she said to him, then pushed it back. “Now learn to drink it.”
“I don’t want to!” Clavat whined, before pushing himself away. Penna was about to slap herself in the forehead.
“Stop being a baby!” She then took his cup to him, creating even more of a ruckus in the process.
Funnily enough, this was despite drilling into him to make sure not to draw attention to them earlier. It was in fact why they chose to wear baggy hoodies, which hid their faces from anyone watching. Brachia couldn’t help but giggle thinking about that fact. 
She knew the two would stop soon enough, and that it was a friendly spat. There was something so calming about them being so open like that today. It felt nice, not to think about performing their duties anymore. She did wonder if their boss considers doing that more often. When she turned to the black wolf, she found that next to the loud argument, was a quieter, more serene scene happening. The man was staring at his drink, right into its center middle. Like a child, who was first learning about existence of cups and milk inside them. Or a predator, trying to make sense of this new prey it was looking at. Or perhaps even admiring it. Regardless, it all looked very adorable.
“Enjoying your stay here, My Lord?” she whispered to him. He did not react to her, but it caught the attention of her two co-generals.
“Why yes,” the black wolf answered, eyes squarely aimed to the front.
He brought his hand out and took time to wrap it around the cup. He slowly brought it to his face shortly after. Brachia, after watching him gradually tilt his head back to let all the liquid into his mouth, came to a conclusion that he must have stayed in his chamber for a bit too long. How else could one describe what he was doing, then learning about real world again? But then again, why should he, in a world that might disappear altogether.
This made Brachia very depressed. 
“What are you thinking about?” Penna asked, who has been watching her fellow general. “It better not be about that again.”
“No, it wasn’t,” she lied. “Just wondering how the strays that we just made are doing.”
He lowered his cup soon enough, completely empty. Dry even. He looked over to Clavat’s drink. 
“If you do not want it, I can drink it for you, Clavat.”
…
Flora could not believe what she had done. 
Then again, why wouldn’t she do that? She already ran away from her home once. And besides, would anyone care if she was missing? Like, seriously, would they really? 
She wasn’t even behind the team assembling the whole Battle bot thingy. She was mostly an invitee, just there to spectate. So, might as well have fun and hang around. Of course, she did leave a message to say she was gone, just to make sure. And she will return back to the hotel, by the end of the day. So everything should be fine.
But then, she’d need to figure how to get back too. Not that she can’t. She definitely knew how to use the map well, and she even remembered the streets. Like the one with that statue! She was there several years ago, too, during that one field trip in grade school! She didn’t remember what the trip was about, or what the statue was supposed to be, but she got a good idea now. Plus, she can use the bus, she could probably just move from one place to the next, and then to the next, and then be back without anyone knowing. It was all going to go well! Nothing bad could ever happen!
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to follow him?” Barbie asked, watching through the window.
“NOT A PROBLEM!” Flora declared confidently.  The confidence she had was so big, Barbie was knocked right from her knees and into her seat. This was all going well, Flora thought, her breaths becoming frantic. It will all be well. Barbie was with her, too, so she won’t get into trouble. And if they run into trouble, together, than they could face them without a problem! It’ll all go smoothly!
“Oh! I guess so,” Barbie mumbled, still looking frazzled. “But, why won’t you tell your Dad “Hi”? He’s right there.” She pointed to the seat diagonally opposite of them to the front.
Flora bit her lip while smiling, and chuckled. “Oh, Barbie. Oh, you poor, sweet little Barbie! We are just…following him! Of course we are not going to say anything! It’s not…appropriate!”
Barbie furrowed her brows. Like she was thinking, “I dunno about if it’s appropriate, but it’s still weird.”
“Look,” Flora explained, uncontrollably giggling all the while, “we don’t need to tell anyone about us following him! Neither him, or our friends, by the way. We are just here to learn where he is living, right now! After that, we’ll go back to the hotel, and act like nothing ever happened! Nothing too hard, right!?”
Barbie slowly nodded, seemingly getting where her friend was going. “But, didn’t you know already where he lived?”
“Yes! I did!” Flora responded matter-of-factly. “And it was the other side of this city! Can you believe that he is visiting here!? It’s probably a tour thing! I think. Do you think it might be a tour thing?”
Barbie shrugged. “Maybe? I could ask him.”
“NO!” Barbie jumped back, and then Flora pulled her off her seat. The doe had apparently realized how loud she was, so they relocated to the back of the bus. Very far back, in fact, away from his eyes. An older man gave them a passing glance when they scooted near him. 
Flora continued, “We can’t! Not now! We need time to…think what we can say! And there is so much to say, you know!? We can’t just go to him all willy-nilly!”
“But-“
“I know, you may think it’s a simple thing, but it is not! We need to come at him, with our chest high, our confidence in our heads and completely ready for anything! We can’t show weakness! We need a battleplan! A full on strategy! A backup, too, if something goes wrong! Didn’t all of these fight teach you anything?“
Barbie mumbled, becoming more confused. “B-but F-Flora-“
“We need to be prepared! That’s all I’m saying! Now, what do you want?“
“He is getting out.”
“WHAT!”
Flora jumped out and, as she was told, her father had already left the bus. She ran to the doors, but they closed and they already began to move before she even reached it. She banged on them a few times, but they already traveled few feet away. She even demanded the driver to stop, who firmly told her to “quiet down.” Barbie watched as her friend whimpered back to her seat.
“This couldn’t get any worse.” Flora moaned into her hands. She just wanted to get out of here as fast as she could.
“Flora?”
“What?”
“I think there’s Rose.”
The young deer looked up and saw her spirit looking down from the top of the bus. Both she and Barbie moved to the window, much to the old man’s annoyance, to see the spirit clinging at the top. 
When Flora and Rose locked eyes, she told Barbie to, “Get ready.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a Torque,” she said. Looks like we’re back in business.”
…